Quantum Gravity Seminar: Samuele Silveravalle

Speaker: Samuele Silveravalle (SISSA)

Spacetime coordinates: Wed @ 14:30, Auditorium A

Zoom Link: https://ucph-ku.zoom.us/j/9295289933?omn=67282578176

Title: Isolated objects in quadratic gravity

Abstract: The description of gravity at small scales and high energies is arguably one of the topics that has attracted the greatest interest among researchers in fundamental physics. To investigate possible deviations from General Relativity using a bottom-up approach, the inclusion of terms quadratic in curvature tensors in the Einstein–Hilbert action provides a sensible first-order correction. The solutions of quadratic gravity are thus potential candidates for modifications to classical ones. In the context of static, spherically symmetric, and asymptotically flat spacetimes, the quadratic contraction of the Weyl tensor turns out to be the only term that leads to non-trivial deviations, defining the so-called Einstein–Weyl theory. The analysis reveals that, beyond the Schwarzschild solution, a rich spectrum of solutions exists, including non-Schwarzschild black holes, wormholes, and naked singularities. In this seminar, I will outline the main steps involved in constructing solutions of this theory and describe their key physical properties, with a particular focus on the Einstein–Weyl sector.